Freedom of Expression in the Pussy Riot Age

By now, readers will perhaps be familiar with the verdict of two years of imprisonment and “corrective labour” that has been handed down by Russian courts to members of the feminist punk collective, Pussy Riot. While the judgment has been criticized harshly in the international media by artists, politicians and activists alike, it begs the question of whether the onslaught by state authorities on the freedom of expression is in fact an attack on artistic expression specifically. If this is true, it’s a testament to the power of art, and to this power being compounded by social media, networking and technology in this digital age.

Read my commentary on the subject on law blog TheCourt.ca, which asks whether the Pussy Riot verdict is really meant as a precaution to artists specifically, or if it can be deemed as a warning to any and all voices of dissent in Russia. The post can be found here.

Photo credit: Denis Bochkarev

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About: Mekhala Chaubal

Mekhala is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, Canada with an interest in all areas of intellectual property (IP) law in a transnational context, privacy rights, and the development of IP in emerging economies. She is currently immersed in learning about innovation, entrepreneurship and the finer points of patent, copyright and trade-mark law as IP Legal Assistant.